Adriana Lima Returns To Maybelline

Brazilian beauty Adriana Lima will return to Maybelline as the face of their brand.

Lima, who is also Victoria's Secret's longest running angel, was the face of Maybelline from 2003-2009. 



Clearly the brand saw the madness of letting her go, and now have resigned her alongside other Maybelline spokesmodels Christy Turlington, Jourdan Dunn, Marloes Horst and Emily DiDonato.

Moving With Awareness ~ Harpers Bazaar Vietnam

I am obsessed with taking yoga class at the moment, and go 5 or 6 days per week. As such, this editorial immediately caught my eye. Actually it features two of my favorite things in the world - yoga and a fierce eyebrow. Sometimes I think that's all a girl really needs...

Photographer Oliver Stalmans captures pencil thin Ukrainian beauty Alla Kostromichova striking poses in fluid summer fashions, with slicked back hair and a fabulous brow, for the July 2014 issue of Harpers Bazaar Vietnam

Moving With Awareness

Wet Hot Summer ~ Rosie Huntington Whiteley for Violet Grey Magazine

Lord but I do love an exquisitely sculpted brow 

and a fantastic lip!

In the new issue of Violet Grey Magazine (online)

Rosie Huntington Whiteley goes to the Palm Desert home of producer Jerry Weintraub (the home was used in his Ocean's 11 movie), to shoot this gorgeous story with photographer

Emma Summerton.

With makeup artist Kate Lee at the helm, Huntington Whiteley looks even more beautiful than ever, 

in this absolutely stunning photo story.

Isn't she just breathtaking?

Make sure you check out all the images (I have only used a few)

and read their Ask Rosie segment - its glorious!

Wet Hot Summer

12 Vogue Covers Around The World June 2014

There was a little controversy with the June 2014 covers of Vogue magazine. Some thought that Vogue Espana's cover featuring Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo naked and with pubic stubble in view, posing behind girlfriend Irina Shayk was both inappropriate and redolent of the Kim Kardashion Kanye West cover that was bothersome to so many around the world. In it's defense at least Irina is an esteemed model, and Ronaldo is sporting some Vogue appropriate, fiercely manicured brows.

Vogue UK took some heat too with Kate Upton on the cover. Some media opined that it looked like Sports Illustrated, not Vogue.

Here's a look at what 12 Vogue magazines around the world have chosen for their covers for June 2014.

Christy Turlington Covers Vogue Japan Health and Beauty Supplement, June 2014

Doutzen Kroes Covers Vogue Japan June 2014

Rosie Huntington Whitely Covers Vogue Deutsch June 2014

Arizona Muse Covers Vogue Russia, June 2014

Arizone Muse Also Covers Vogue Ukraine June 2014

Magdalena Frackowiak Covers Vogue Turkey, June 2014

Vogue Espana June 2014 Cover Featuring Irina Shayk, Naked Boyfriend Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and his pubic stubble...

Natasha Poly Covers Vogue Paris, June 2014

Zuzanna Bijock Covers Vogue Thailand June 2014

Emily Di Donato Is an Ice Queen for Vogue Australia's June 2014 Cover

Sultry Deepika Padukone Covers Vogue India June 2014

Kirsten Dunst Looks Amazing In The New L'Oreal Beach Waves Campaign

Have you ever seen Kirsten Dunst looking so fantastic?
Check her out here all bronzed up and sexy-fied, with that plunging black maillot, smokey sexy eyes and that amazing hair!
I'm guessing it's probably a banging set of extensions and some masterful work in post, but who cares - she looks fabulous.

Kirsten is advertising L'Oreal Professional's new "Beach Waves" kit, an 8 step process to deliver those sex-bomb wavy tresses.
I would happily head to the salon for some Beach Waves if it meant looking that good!

How To Look Great In A Bikini

Its bikini time again, and whether you are the girl who works out fanatically everyday, or whether you are just realizing that you have in fact been forgetting to work out, chances are that by virtue of being female you are feeling a little self conscious about greeting the world wearing next to nothing. 
Here are tips for how to look good in a bikini:


1. The Anti Bloat

3 days before bikini D-Day go on an anti bloat crusade. No alcohol, no salt or salty foods, kill the carbs, and abandon gas inducing veges such as broccoli, replacing them with diuretic veges like cucumber, celery and tomatoes.

2. Exfoliate Exfoliate Exfoliate!
You need to get somewhere between a healthy glow and a subtle sheen to the skin so that the light just rolls right off of it, so invest in a good body exfoliant (or make one) and keep that skin super smooth.

3. De-Fur
Laser it, wax it, or get a really good razor and some shaving foam - whichever works your budget, but if it's furry, remove it.
Everything else can be completely perfect, but if it looks like a nest of spiders are about to escape from your bikini bottoms you've blown the whole deal.

4. Fake A Tan

You get no points for spending time on the melanoma beds at the tanning salon, but instead go for an airbrush tan or a good faux tan that builds over a few days, such as St Tropez.
Golden skin looks infinitely better in a bikini than ghostly skin.







5. Get A Lift


Strategically supported boobs sit higher thus slimming the waist (and creating all the diversion you need).
Go for a bikini top that has an underwire to support the girls and that is structured to give them a little lift.




6. Position Yourself Perfectly.

image courtesy of InStyle Magazine

I saw this one in Instyle Magazine and thought it was pretty hilarious. Body language expert Patti Wood says to sit with your knees up, which creates a slim line by drawing the eye to your upper body and knees, and rolls fat away from your thighs.
They also suggest digging a 1 inch hole in the sand and planting your booty in that so that your saddlebags and spillover from your thighs will be hidden.
Personally I'd rather look extra-curvy than sit in a hole with my knees up all day!!

7. Wear A Straw Hat

image curtesy of InStyle Magazine

It works for Elle Macpherson so chances are it will work for you.
A hat keeps your hair controlled, keeps sun off your face and can look pretty cool. Especially when paired with some chunky jewels.

8. Hide Flaws With A Little Body Makeup.

I'd prefer to just faux tan them away, but even supermodels have veins, bruises and other imperfections that they want to hide. At Miami Swim Fashion Week body makeup is a staple, the brew of choice being MAC  Face and Body.

9. Find The Bikini Style That's Right For Your Shape.

Dolce and Gabbana vintage style bikini

Don't get all consumed with whatever the latest fashion fad is, or what your friends are wearing. Instead find the style that is best for your body shape. If you're not sure which shape works best for you, go to a higher end department store or swimwear store and have a professional guide you.
You don't have to be the skinniest girl on the beach to be the sexiest girl on the beach.





10. Get A Great Sarong And Stand Tall.
Pretty self explanatory. A killer sarong slung around your hips can both mask the iffy bits, and look super-sexy-cool. Combine that with standing tall and you've got a win! Nothing is sexier than self confidence, so throw your shoulders back, keep your spine straight and just own all that you've got!

Cooking Lessons In Tuscany

One of the most fabulous things to do when traveling in Italy, is to learn how to prepare and cook the amazing local food.

It is so much fun to get off the beaten track, away from the touristy T shirt shops, and go somewhere really beautiful, like a private villa, a winery or a farmhouse, and have a lesson with a local chef.

Marcello makin fresh pasta at Podere Cunina in Tuscany

 Typically you will learn magical recipes that have been in the chef's family quite literally for hundreds of years, passed down through the generations.

My very dear friend Silvana Freddi and her husband Piergiorgio own a beautiful Agriturismo in Tuscany, outside of Siena, not far from Montalcino.

Podere Cunina perched on it's mountain in Tuscany

I have written about it before - the lovely Podere Cunina, perched on a mountain, with views that would make you weep.
An Agriturismo is a boutique farm (agricultural  - not an animal farm) with apartments or houses for tourists to rent and live in for their vacation. See my post from last year, Where To Stay Under The Tuscan Sun to look at pictures and read about lovely Cunina.

After first reading Frances Mayes "Under The Tuscan Sun" back in the late 90's I became obsessed with Frances' recipes and the idea of spending a day cooking in Tuscany.
Fast forward a few years and I wound up renting an apartment in Tuscany from Silvana every summer, and building one of those wonderful friendships that will last forever.

Silvana's son Marcello is a master chef who was running a boutique restaurant on Lake Garda, but has since moved to Podere Cunina to work in the family business and teach Tuscan cooking lessons to tourists, both those staying at Cunina and also those who just want to spend a day cooking and eating and drinking the glorious local wine.

A gorgeous group of Russian tourists spending the day cooking, eating and drinking wine with Marcello at Podere Cunina in Tuscany

People from all around the world come to stay at Cunina and to learn to cook with Marcello. His recipes are divine, and he is fun, charming and engaging.
Everyone wants to come back and cook with him again!

making homemade pasta with Marcello at Podere Cunina in Tuscany

If you have never rolled out fresh, homemade pasta before, it is an experience you won't forget anytime soon. And no pasta tastes like homemade pasta!

There is much more to Tuscan cooking than just pasta. (although the pasta is spectacular!) There are so many wonderful dishes to experience, so many fantastic recipes to bring home and wow your friends and family with.

Marcello wanted to improve his cooking English and his tourist English, so last December he came out to Phoenix to live with us for a couple of months.
We cooked together every day, and Marcello even filled our freezer with homemade pasta meals and gnocchi before he left.
So I can personally vouch for his amazing cooking!

You can find out about staying at Podere Cunina, or just booking cooking lessons with Marcello by clicking here

If you are having a lesson with Marcello and are completely wowed with his cooking English have him do a little Kid Rock for you. We not only taught him how to use words like "whisk" and "sprinkle" and "bring it to a boil", but we also taught him to rap his way through "Cowboy" - after all you never know when it might come in handy :)